Like Music to Our Ears: The Story of a Rufty-Inspired Song

The only thing more important to our team than building beautiful, high-quality homes is the connections we make with our customers along the way. In fact, many times the homeowners we work with start out as strangers only to end up as friends. And, in one special case, the work and dedication of Rufty Project Manager, Don Pegram, even inspired a song…

Back in 1994, when Mitch and Thuy moved to Raleigh, they had no idea that purchasing a house built by Rufty Homes would lead to a connection that would last for decades, but that’s exactly what happened. Mitch explains, “My wife and I had never owned a home before, and, being new to the area, we didn’t know anything about the reputation of local builders. Our real estate agent showed us a few homes and we fell in love with a former Parade of Homes house that had been built by Rufty Homes.”

Mitch and Thuy moved in and didn’t think much else about the builder behind their home until Mitch received a phone call from Jon Rufty about a year later. “Jon checked in to see why we never called in a punch list for the home. I wasn’t sure what that meant, so Jon explained that it was our opportunity to come up with a list of things that were ‘wrong’ with the house and that the team would fix them for us within the first year of moving in. That was my first indication that Rufty Homes was a special team with exceptional integrity,” says Mitch. 

Fast forward 15 years later, and Rufty once again made an impression. While Mitch was out of town, Thuy noticed the basement was starting to flood. Unsure about what to do, she called Jon Rufty, who showed up at their doorstep just 15 minutes later. “He immediately got to work, calling subcontractors and coming up with a plan to help take care of everything. It’s a testament to who Jon is, but it blew us away,” remembers Mitch. 

After the flood, Mitch and Thuy decided to do some remodeling on the home and had no hesitation to hire Rufty Homes for the job. It was then that they met Don Pegram, and another instant connection formed. Over the years, they’ve worked with Don on four remodeling projects, and he never ceases to step up to the plate when they need him. When Mitch decided to finally bring his dream of having an in-home music studio to life, there was no question that they wanted Don to do the job. 

Mitch worked with a renowned music studio architect on the designs for the space, and there was no room for error. The walls, floors, and ceiling of the studio have to be built to near-perfect dimensions in order for the complex mathematics of neutral frequency response to work correctly. While the architect doubted that a residential builder could be up for the task, Mitch stood firm that the only person he’d be comfortable doing the build was Don. 

“After working with Rufty Homes so many times over the years, why would I ever want anyone else to touch my house? It was never a question that Don would be the right person for the job and the studio turned out perfectly, just as I knew it would,” says Mitch. 

However, while building the studio to perfection was impressive, it was what Don did beyond that that really spoke to Mitch and Thuy.

“During the studio build, we learned that our son, who was in the process of defeating cancer, would be able to come home. However, for his health and safety, it was vital that there was no dust in the home. As we were in the middle of a remodel, this seemed like a problem. We explained our concerns to Don, and he immediately told us that he’d take care of it so we could focus on our son. When we got home just 24 hours later, Don had built a wall that totally sealed the studio off from the rest of the house and had made sure that every single speck of dust was removed. It was just another example of how the Rufty team constantly goes above and beyond,” Mitch remembers. 

At the end of the project, when Don jokingly mentioned that Mitch should write a song about him called “Hanging With the Don,” Mitch was quick to agree! It took a month to write it, then four years to record it, and another three years to get the perfect sax solo from Mike Nordin, but it was well worth the wait. Mitch has released a nearly nine-minute ode to Don, the ultimate swashbuckling superhero of the building trade that we’re excited to share with you today.

Truly, making connections with our customers is what it’s all about. 

You can listen to “Hanging With the Don” below and check out “Just Water,” Mitch’s band since the 1970s, on Spotify.